This article was orginally published by InfluencerCon in their digital journal Alchemy.

We are the last generation. We are the first generation. We refuse to retain the illusions of those who came before us. Their truths are not our truths.

The architects of the present system may be clever, but they are not wise. They believe that progress is ever more production and consumption. We know that this endless growth is a cancer, speeding up the destruction of our planet.

They believe that wealth is a sign of merit, of virtue. We know that this is a shallow and anemic understanding of what makes a life worthwhile.

They believe that Mother Earth is a commodity to be bought and sold for private gain. We know that we are part of a complex ecosystem that nurtures all life, and that life-sustaining commons cannot be possessed.

They believe that our debts are moral failings. We know that debts are designed to keep us docile and obedient, and to neutralize our will to resist.

They believe that individualism is the apex of human evolution. We know that it only alienates us from each other, leaving us isolated, depressed and anxious. They tell us we live in an age of democracy. We know that our political systems have been captured by corporations and elites who worship private gain over the public good.

We refuse to retain the illusions of those who came before us. We will not be the gatekeepers of the status quo. We strive to better ourselves for the good of all, rather than accumulate wealth at the expense of others. We value human relationships, nurture our inner gifts, and embrace our unique spiritual journeys. We refuse to measure ourselves by what we earn and consume.

We honour the ingenuity of the human spirit and will not be enslaved by corporations and governments that pillage our collective wealth. We reach for fairness and compassion between equals, and refuse to participate in a world order that depends on perpetual war and plunder.

We live to learn, love and thrive, together. We refuse to retain the illusions of those who came before us. The current order has been created by a set of warped and violent stories.

They are not our stories. Individualism is a story. Perpetual growth is a story. Debt is a story. The nation state is a story. Capitalism itself is just a story. We have better stories that articulate our true nature.

We have a story of unity. We have a story of symbiosis with the planet and the principles that govern the natural world. We have a story of an economy that serves our higher selves. We have a story of life as a web of deep connections celebrating empathy, compassion, justice, and co-operation.

They will call us utopians: deluded and unrealistic. But they are deluded who believe we can continue on our present path.

We do not need permission to create the better world we know is possible. Resistance to the current order is not an option. It is inevitable.